- Part Code
- AD020
- Price
- £31.50
This is the U-section rubber extrusion that is fitted around the outer edge of the aluminium bulkhead on the Derby Bentley. When fitted it should be in four separate pieces. On each side of the bulkhead one piece runs from the bracket supporting the top hinge to the top of the cut-out that clears the side hinge. A second piece runs from the bottom of the side-hinge cut-out to the foot of the bulkhead. It does not run around the side-hinge cut-out.
The rubber extrusion fitted to the top of the bulkhead is different to that fitted on the side. The side extrusion has an angled cross-section, to accommodate the tapering of the bonnet. Sufficient material of each section is supplied to fit to the bulkhead.
On all cars prior to the M-series chassis there is a small lip on either side of the edge of the bulkhead, and the rubber is designed to fit over the lip on each side. On M-series cars there is no lip on the bulhead, the surface of the casting on each face being unbroken to the edge. When fitting AD020 to an M-series car our practice is to fill the resulting void inside the rubber extrusion due to the absence of the lip with a small bead of black silicone rubber compound.
The rubber is retained by clips on either side of the bulkhead. These are retained by 5BA cheesehead screws, which should be fitted with the screw heads on the rear of the bulkhead, the nuts on the engine side.
As designed the bonnet should be supported solely on the bonnet tape around the edge of the radiator shell and the rubber extrusion around the bulkhead. This is how the chassis was delivered to the coachbuilder. The back of the bonnet should not have any additional support on the upper surface of the scuttle to the rear of the bulkhead; it is incorrect to fit bonnet tape to the scuttle to support the bonnet.
The bulkhead and scuttle are isolated from each other by rubber mountings, to reduce body creaking and the transmission of vibrations. Supporting the bonnet on the scuttle will partially negate this. The only exceptions occur when a coachbuilder has widened the bulkhead to reduce the ‘waist’ in the scuttle. This design style is usually characteristic of Continental coachbuilders. However we have found instances of widened scuttles and bulkheads in bodies by Gurney Nutting (P2), VdeP (Bentley) and H J Mulliner (Bentley)
